Nov. 27 (Bloomberg) -- China Petroleum & Chemical Corp.,
the nation’s biggest refiner known as Sinopec, started pipelines
yesterday in Qingdao that were undamaged after an explosion last
week killed at least 55 people.

The pipelines resumed operations after inspections, said
Zhao Tong, an external Sinopec spokeswoman, who works for
Brunswick Group. The Qingdao refinery will return to normal
output “soon,” she said.

The facility cut operations after the accident on Nov.22
and relied mostly on crude stored in tanks to keep the plant
running, Zhao said. The explosion occurred after an oil leak led
to a fire, according to a Xinhua News Agency report on Nov. 22.

Sinopec’s refining and petrochemical site at Qingdao in
Shandong province produces more than 7 million metric tons of
gasoline, kerosene and diesel a year, according to the company’s
website. Refined products are exported and sold in the north,
northeast and southeastern coastal regions of China, according
to the website.